Surrey cricket include Guildford bowler in winter training programme

Keen to impress: Duncan Selmes has quit as a teaching assistant in a bid to make it in first-class cricket

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Duncan Selmes is determined he won’t be left asking himself “what if?” at the end of his cricket career.

The 23-year-old Guildford speedster impressed not only opposing batsmen in the Ryman Surrey Championship Premier last summer. He was soon attracting the interest of scouts from counties, not least Surrey who included him in their winter training programme under the watchful gaze of bowling coach Stuart Barnes.

Selmes – who studied at Oakham School and Cardiff University before moving to the South East 18 months ago – has made the brave decision to give up his job as a teaching assistant when schools break up for Easter to devote himself full time to making it as a professional.

He explained: “I enjoy my job but my dream was always to be a pro and I want to give myself every chance.

“There are some pretty useful 18-year-olds around and that’s an advantage but I’m determined nothing will get in my way and I’m not going to wonder in a few years time whether I could have really gone for it.”

So while he will be sad to say goodbye to the pupils of Highfield Prep in Liphook, Selmes will be throwing himself into games such as the match Surrey are holding for trialists at Charterhouse School next month.

“It’s up to me to impress and they have been very encouraging,” he added. “Stuart said that he felt technically I was pretty good but should work on my strength a bit.”

Selmes’s biggest selling point is that, at a brisk pace and with a high action, he can make the ball swing away beautifully, sometimes to his own disadvantage at club level. In 13 Premier games for Guildford last season he claimed 25 wickets and it might have been quite a lot more had he not beaten the bat so often rather than got the edge.

“I really enjoyed my first year with the club,” he said, despite a struggle against relegation.

“Bowling with the Duke ball is good for me as they swing but I worked on a couple of things and got it to go in as well as out as the season went on.

“I’ve been bowling indoors since October – not too much but ticking over and trying to continue developing everything about my game.”

He’s looking forward to the new Championship season too, reckoning: “We’ve got a new overseas and a couple of other new players and the young lads are a year older. We may surprise a few.”